It is the rarer, more specialised
invertebrate species that need particular attention, especially
where there is evidence that their macro- or micro-habitat
requirements are not represented within the existing SSSI
series. Therefore sites containing the best examples of such
features, e.g. micro-habitats such as ancient trees with dead and
decaying wood, and large river shingle banks, are candidates for
selection as SSSIs. Habitat mosaics are also of great
importance, because many invertebrates live in situations which may
be classed as transitions between habitat types or because there is
a need for different habitat conditions at different stages of
their life history.

The strongest populations of the
rarer and more threatened invertebrates, which typically have
narrow and unusual habitat requirements, should be considered as
features for the notification of SSSIs. Highest priority
should be given to Red Data Book (RDB) endangered, vulnerable, rare
and endemic species, with species listed as 'out of danger' also
remaining important. Nationally scarce species (and their
assemblages), known or estimated in 16-100 10km grid squares in
Britain should also be represented. Regionally scarce species
may also be considered as significant for site notification.

All species with populations listed
in Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended
1985) qualify for consideration. The location supporting the
strongest population in Great Britain of a RDB species should be
regarded as a candidate site, as well as sites with strong
populations of well-recorded RDB groups such as butterflies,
macro-moths, grasshoppers and crickets, ground beetles, water
beetles and hoverflies.

Natura 2000 comprises Special Protection Areas (under the Birds Directive) and Special Areas for Conservation (under the Habitats and Species Directive). The list presented here includes all of the qualifying interest features under these Directives, and shows the proportion of these features for which a condition assessment has been made.

SSSI features

List of SSSI and ASSI interest features in this reporting category

Interest feature name

Formal name

Informal name

No. of assessments reported

Agabus brunneus

A diving beetle

1

Asilus crabroniformis

Hornet robberfly

2

Austropotamobius pallipes

White-clawed (or Atlantic stream) crayfish

1

Bolitophagus reticulatus

A beetle

1

Cerastoderma lanack

Brackish water cockle

1

Eutheia linearis

A beetle

1

Gabrius scoticus

A beetle

1

Heliophanus dampfi

A spider

1

Hirudo medicinalis

Medicinal leech

1

Lampronia fuscatella

A moth

1

Limoniscus violaceus

Violet click beetle

1

Lycia lapponaria

Rannoch brindled beauty moth

1

Margaritifera margaritifera

Freshwater pearl mussel

6

Nebria nivalis

A beetle

1

Nematostella vectensis

Starlet sea anemone

1

Oreodytes alpinus

A beetle

1

Pancalia schwarzella

A moth

1

Pareulype berberata

Barberry carpet

1

Phagoteryx brevipennis

A caddis fly

1

Siona lineata

Black-veined moth

1

Teodoxus fluviatilis

A snail

1

Tipula luridirostris

A fly

1

Trichoniscoides saeroeensis

A woodlouse

1

Tyta luctuosa

Four-spotted moth

1

Vertigo alpestris

A snail

1

Victorella pavida

Trembling sea-mat

1

Xylena exosoleta

Sword grass moth

1

Ylodes (Triaenodes) reuteri

A caddis fly

1

Zygaena lonicerae jocelynae

Burnet moth

1

Zygaena loti

Slender Scotch Burnet moth

1

Beetles

Beetles

53

Caddis flies

Caddis flies

2

Flies

Flies

27

Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers

1

Invertebrate assemblage

Invertebrate assemblage

35

Invertebrate assemblage: brackish marsh: lagoon

Invertebrate assemblage: brackish marsh: lagoon

1

Invertebrate assemblage: brackish marsh: upper saltmarsh

Invertebrate assemblage: brackish marsh: upper saltmarsh

1

Invertebrate assemblage: dunes

Invertebrate assemblage: dunes

1

Invertebrate assemblage: early successional

Invertebrate assemblage: early successional

1

Invertebrate assemblage: early successional: dry

Invertebrate assemblage: early successional: dry

1

Invertebrate assemblage: early successional: sandy

Invertebrate assemblage: early successional: sandy

2

Invertebrate assemblage: early successional: scrub

Invertebrate assemblage: early successional: scrub

1

Invertebrate assemblage: fen

Invertebrate assemblage: fen

2

Invertebrate assemblage: fen: floodplain

Invertebrate assemblage: fen: floodplain

3

Invertebrate assemblage: fen: pools

Invertebrate assemblage: fen: pools

4

Invertebrate assemblage: glades and rides

Invertebrate assemblage: glades and rides

1

Invertebrate assemblage: glades and rides: scrub

Invertebrate assemblage: glades and rides: scrub

2

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland

2

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland: calcareous

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland: calcareous

5

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland: free-draining

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland: free-draining

2

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland: sandy

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland: sandy

2

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland: scrub

Invertebrate assemblage: grassland: scrub

4

Invertebrate assemblage: headwater: calcareous

Invertebrate assemblage: headwater: calcareous

1

Invertebrate assemblage: heathland

Invertebrate assemblage: heathland

1

Invertebrate assemblage: heathland: scrub

Invertebrate assemblage: heathland: scrub

1

Invertebrate assemblage: heathland: wet

Invertebrate assemblage: heathland: wet

1

Invertebrate assemblage: marsh

Invertebrate assemblage: marsh

1

Invertebrate assemblage: marsh: detritus pond

Invertebrate assemblage: marsh: detritus pond

1

Invertebrate assemblage: marsh: silt pond

Invertebrate assemblage: marsh: silt pond

2

Invertebrate assemblage: mature woodland

Invertebrate assemblage: mature woodland

1

Invertebrate assemblage: mature woodland: canopy

Invertebrate assemblage: mature woodland: canopy

1

Invertebrate assemblage: mature woodland: saproxylic

Invertebrate assemblage: mature woodland: saproxylic

2

Invertebrate assemblage: old growth: epiphytic

Invertebrate assemblage: old growth: epiphytic

1

Invertebrate assemblage: old growth: open canopy

Invertebrate assemblage: old growth: open canopy

3

Invertebrate assemblage: old growth: saproxylic

Invertebrate assemblage: old growth: saproxylic

4

Invertebrate assemblage: river: shingle

Invertebrate assemblage: river: shingle

1

Invertebrate assemblage: scrubland: canopy

Invertebrate assemblage: scrubland: canopy

1

Invertebrate assemblage: scrubland: saproxylic

Invertebrate assemblage: scrubland: saproxylic

1

Invertebrate assemblage: seepage: calcareous

Invertebrate assemblage: seepage: calcareous

3

Invertebrate assemblage: seepage: woodland

Invertebrate assemblage: seepage: woodland

3

Invertebrate assemblage: shaded field layer: acid

Invertebrate assemblage: shaded field layer: acid

1

Invertebrate assemblage: shaded field layer: dry

Invertebrate assemblage: shaded field layer: dry

1

Invertebrate assemblage: stream: sandy

Invertebrate assemblage: stream: sandy

2

Invertebrate assemblage: stream: silty

Invertebrate assemblage: stream: silty

1

Invertebrate assemblage: temporary pond:

Invertebrate assemblage: temporary pond:

1

Invertebrate assemblage: wet woodland: canopy

Invertebrate assemblage: wet woodland: canopy

1

Invertebrate assemblage: wet woodland: fen carr

Invertebrate assemblage: wet woodland: fen carr

2

Molluscs

Molluscs

3

Moths

Moths

7

Sawflies, wasps and ants

Sawflies, wasps and ants

3

Spiders

Spiders

3

Water fleas

Water fleas

1

Woodlice

Woodlice

3

This list has not been fully standardised at a UK level yet. It is intended to show the principal constituent "feature types" for this reporting category.

Maps - distribution

Distribution of reported interest features.

Map showing the locations of the 10km squares in which at least one condition assessment has been reported. It does not show features that have not yet been assessed.

Maps - Natura

Current condition of SAC features
Distribution of SAC features showing assessments of favourability (where unfavourable-recovering is counted as unfavourable).

Condition of SAC features, with those currently reported as unfavourable-recovering shown as favourable
The implication of the unfavourable-recovering condition assessments is that at some point in the future these features should become favourable. This map shows the effect of that recovery by counting the favourable and unfavourable-recovering assessments together.

IMPORTANT NOTE: we do not have information on the timescale of the predicted recovery, which may be influenced by many past, natural and human related factors. A sustained sympathetic management regime is more likely to result in favourable condition being attained.

Key: Proportion of assessed features on 10km squares that are favourable:

Maps - SSSI

Current condition of SSSI/ASSI features
Distribution of SSSI/ASSI features showing assessments of favourability (where unfavourable-recovering is counted as unfavourable).

Condition of SSSI/ASSI features, with those currently reported as unfavourable-recovering shown as favourable
The implication of the unfavourable-recovering condition assessments is that at some point in the future these features should become favourable. This map shows the effect of that recovery by counting the favourable and unfavourable-recovering assessments together.

IMPORTANT NOTE: we do not have information on the timescale of the predicted recovery, which may be influenced by many past, natural and human related factors. A sustained sympathetic management regime is more likely to result in favourable condition being attained.

Key: Proportion of assessed features on 10km squares that are favourable:

Condition summary

This lists the 10 different condition assessments and presents a bar chart showing the number of features within the SSSI series and the Natura 2000 series (either SPA for bird features or SAC for features other than birds). Note that for Natura 2000 we are able to estimate the number of features that have not been assessed during the 6 year reporting period - we are unable to do this for SSSI/ASSI because we do not have an overall list of notified interest features for these designations.

NB favourable unclassified and unfavourable unclassified have been used in this first six year cycle to get around difficulties in identifying trends in condition as common standards monitoring is implemented. It is expected that these categories will not be used for subsequent assessments of a feature.

Condition assessment - Natura 2000 features

The number and proportion of assessments for Natura 2000 (SAC and SPA) interest features falling into each of the condition categories. Note that the �unfavourable� category includes all reports of unfavourable condition except �unfavourable recovering� which is shown as a separate segment.

Condition assessment - SSSI features

The number and proportion of assessments for SSSI/ASSI interest features falling into each of the condition categories. Note that the �unfavourable� category includes all reports of unfavourable condition except �unfavourable recovering� which is shown as a separate segment.

Adverse activities

The number of interest features where an activity has been reported as being implicated in the "unfavourable" condition of a feature. More than one adverse activity may be reported for each feature.

Management measures

For each "measure" the chart shows the number of interest features where that measure has been taken on a site to improve or maintain the condition of an interest feature. More than one measure may be reported for each feature assessed.

Interpretation

This category covers all
invertebrate features other than butterflies, dragonflies and
damselflies. 62% of the features reported are in
favourable condition. This is just below the average for
species features, but above the average for all features
combined. 72% of A/SSSI and 12% of SAC features reported are
favourable, with a further 12% of A/SSSI and 20% of SAC features
unfavourable-recovering.

Within these figures, across
features on both A/SSSIs and SACs, there are some intriguing
differences. Assemblage features – when a site is notified
for a combination of species – are less favourable (58%) than
single species interest features (64%) - where a species is
notified on a site in its own right. Within the single
species features there is considerable variation. For
example, snails (including a number of very small and rare species
for which sites have been notified under the Habitats Directive)
are only 29% favourable, whereas beetles (including the stag beetle
Lucanus cervus, the UK's largest beetle species) are 76%
favourable.

A mix of adverse activities are
reported; these relate to the variety of individual features within
this reporting category. Management agreements are key to
achieving favourable condition. Care is needed in
interpreting these assessments, as other than for freshwater pearl
mussel and white-clawed crayfish, guidance on setting conservation
objectives for invertebrate features had not been fully developed
at the time the assessments were made.

Freshwater pearl mussel

The freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera
margaritifera has suffered considerable declines in its
abundance and range in the past. Sites have been designated
for the most important remaining populations. 73% of the
assessments required on SACs have been reported. On only
three rivers have freshwater pearl mussels been found to be in
favourable condition (16%). The remainder of sites are in
unfavourable condition (12% unfavourable-recovering). This
probably reflects the wider conservation status of the species in
the UK with most populations suffering from low abundance and/or
poor reproductive success. Pearl fishing has been an
important factor in the species' decline and evidence suggests this
now operates at a greatly reduced level. Water quality and
water management have been found to be particular concerns at many
sites. Agricultural activities and development pressure have
also been listed as pressures on some designated sites. Work
is underway to identify appropriate management measures to improve
the condition of freshwater pearl mussel sites.

White-clawed crayfish

92% of the white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius
pallipes assessments required on SACs have been reported; 27%
are favourable and 73% unfavourable. None are
unfavourable-recovering. The principal reasons for this
assessment are the continued spread of crayfish plague together
with the spread of the invasive signal crayfish Pacifastacus
leniusculus to previously unaffected river stretches.
Exposure of crayfish to pyrethroids from sheep dip is another
significant factor contributing to the unfavourable status of the
species.